


From Ashes to Flowers

by Tuxedo_Elf



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:07:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22743748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuxedo_Elf/pseuds/Tuxedo_Elf
Summary: Reborn after millennia, the First Hero gets chance to talk with his successor, to whom he owes a great debt. He also reunites with a very old friend. ;)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 123





	From Ashes to Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> A little gift fic for Homulily. :)

From Ashes to Flowers 

Xxx

Green grass sprang up beneath his feet as he walked. Flowers too, small daisies that brought splashes of white amongst the green. It covered the land, up rolling hills and trailing down into valleys, ending where the clear blue rivers and lakes began. 

Beautiful. 

Not as he remembered, no. Better. 

When he had last laid eyes on this land it had been scorched and dead, blackened with fire and blood. Endless battles had led to devastation as far as the eye could see and beyond, with even the rivers running dark and poisoned. This transformation was a miracle, a testament to the hard work and devotion of his successor.

He breathed in, the air sweet with wildflowers. This was the land he remembered from his youth, from before the great war. This was the land he'd tried so very hard to defend. The land he'd failed. 

Even though he'd been dying, he had not forgotten the horror of seeing the land spoiled. In his final moments he had truly believed that there was no future here, that Skyloft was all there was and would ever be.

Yet - here they were. Thousands of years and rebirth later, standing on the same ground, now teeming with life. He watched as butterflies flitted over the flowers and birds flew overhead. Although he couldn't see them, he knew the waters were full of fish.

All thanks to *him*. He looked over, to where the hero of the Sky was sitting mending a small rip in his sailcloth with care. Hard to believe that the young man who smiled readily, liked a nap and hated the night watch, was the one responsible for this vibrant, thriving land. 

But he was. The first hero smiled to see the Master Sword at his back, the blue and gold scabbard glinting in the sunlight. He could feel the spirit of the sword from here, as though it were singing. 

Sky looked up from his work, noticing that he was being watched. He smiled. "Hey. Come and sit with me." 

That was a surprise, but he nodded and walked over, dropping down beside him. He removed his own sword, laying it on the grass beside him. 

"Is something wrong?" Sky asked. "You looked so lost over there." 

"I was just thinking." The First hero replied. "This is still a huge change for me."

Sky nodded. "You've only been with us a few weeks. It takes time. Hylia knows it took me a while."

"Yes, she does know that," he replied absently, surprised when Sky laughed loudly. 

"I keep forgetting you know her that well. I suppose I do too, but it's different." Sky said. "Do you... miss her?"

"All the time." First sighed. "She was my constant companion all these years. But... she wanted this for me, the chance to live again. And in truth I wanted it too. It's just... being apart is not easy. I will manage though. Being here helps."

"What, in the middle of a field?" Sky asked, confused.

"Yes," he smiled then, a rare thing that lit up his whole face. "Because I remember it before. When it was a scorched and stained battlefield, devoid of life. And now look at it." He met Sky's gaze. "You did that. You saved this land." He put his hand in the grass, feeling the blades between his fingers. "You gave it life again."

"I had to do something," Sky murmured. "The moment I set foot here I knew it was special, that it needed help. Though most of the life came from getting rid of Demise." Sky still recalled how the land had started to heal itself after the demon king fell in that last, desperate battle.

"This land meant more to me than anything and I failed it," First said, his voice no more than a whisper. "With my dying breaths all I could do was try and save a small part of it while the rest was destroyed. I thought it was lost forever. Yet here we are, in a field full of life. I do not have the words to express what that means." He faced Sky again, his face open and honest. "But I will try. Thank you, hero of the Sky. For doing what I could not. For slaying Demise and saving Hylia's land. For restoring it to its former glory. I am eternally grateful." 

Sky smiled and looped his arm around the other hero's. "I'm glad I was able to do it, it deserved nothing less. But please, stop saying you failed. You did all you could and you did so much." 

With his free arm, the older hero adjusted his red scarf as an excuse to look away. "How can you say that? I failed to kill Demise and stop his destructive rampage. That was all you."

Sky couldn't help himself; he rolled his eyes. "You're forgetting something *slightly* important. You held off Demise and helped Skyloft rise. You may not have killed him, but you made sure the Hylian people survived. Without you, without what you did and the sacrifices you made, I wouldn't have been here to do what I did. So..." he punched First playfully on the arm, "stop with that nonsense. Nothing is simple, even success or failure. You succeeded in my eyes." 

First was touched by Sky's words. "Thank you. That's really quite soothing." He wasnt quite sure he believed it, but it helped. His eyes looked over the land again, up to where green hills met blue skies. "Do you miss Skyloft?" 

Sky's gaze joined his. "Yes, though not as much as I expected. Most of those I love are here with me. I miss my loftwing the most, flying with him."

"He misses you, too." First told him before he could second guess himself.

Sky blinked. "How do you know?" 

"They're birds of the Goddess; never far from her sight. And that one - well. He's a bit special." A laugh escaped him. "And he knows it." 

"Wow." Sky shook his head. "I knew they were blessed but... that's more than I expected. But... I'm glad he misses me too. I would love to see him again." 

"You will." First patted Sky's arm. "Of that I am absolutely certain." 

That seemed to ease something in Sky and he sat back, looking into the clouds for the land he knew was there, even if he couldn't see it. 

"Maybe we'll all get to go there... you've never been there, have you?" 

First shook his head. "No. I knew the land it was of course and I saw it rise... but I never..." he trailed off, remembering watching the land lifting and the hand that reached out to him, begging for strength he no longer possessed. He breathed deeply, trying not to let the memory overwhelm him. "I suppose it changed a lot... I would like to see it." 

"I think you'd like it; we made it a land to be proud of."

"Of that I have no doubt," First assured him, watching the clouds that hid the land drift by.

They fell into an easy silence for a time, sitting side by side.

Finally, the First hero broke the silence. "May I asked a favour of you?" 

Sky frowned slightly in confusion but nodded. "Of course." 

Sitting back, First looked at the smaller hero and the blade that still rested between his shoulders. "May I... hold her again? Just for a minute." 

"Her...oh! Oh of course!" Sky agreed instantly. He stood quickly and unsheathed the blade. When First joined him, he offered the hilt. 

Despite it being his request, First still hesitated. So long since he'd laid hands on that blade, he recalled the fear the first time he'd been offered it. 

Sky didn't rush him, sensing the gravity of the moment. "It's okay," he said softly. "She knows." 

At last, he reached out and grasped the sword. It was warm in his hands and as he moved, he heard the blade *sing*. 

"She remembers you!" Sky said delightedly. "I knew she would!" They could both hear it, the joy of the sword spirit as it was reunited with the first it's many wielders. 

Taking a step back, he swung it, feeling the power as it cleaved the air, the whistle as it came back down. He couldn't help but smile as he went through the motions, moving with that blade was like dancing and so natural he didn't even need to think. Despite himself, he even closed his eyes for a few moments and just *felt.* 

Sky let him, knowing the importance of the moment. This was a reunion of its own and they both needed it. The blade's song never wavered and it filled the hero of the Sky with joy. 

At last, First lowered the blade, his eyes opening as he returned to reality. "Thank you... that was... amazing. Just to feel it my hand again." With a sigh, he turned it round and offered it back to Sky. "All yours, hero." 

Sky chuckled. "You're a hero too." 

"Ah, but you are *my* hero." He said to Sky, while gesturing broadly to the land.

Sky snorted, sheathing the blade and wrapping his arm around First's again. "That's a really cheesy thing to say." 

"Perhaps. But it is true." The First hero assured him." He was smiling again, something that seemed to be happening with increasing frequency. 

Laughing, Sky tugged at his arm. "Come on, let's get back to the others before you kill me with compliments." 

"I am only speaking the truth," First protested lightly, letting Sky lead him away. 

"I think you just enjoy making your friends blush," Sky grinned. He found he truly liked the older hero, with his strange insights and quirks.

First's eyes sparkled as they made their way back to where the others were making camp. "Let me tell you about someone. His name was Orville..." 

Xxxx


End file.
